Transforming Our Services for Students: E-testing and so much more!

Organizations that were involved: Santa Barbara Community College District, Santa Barbara County Education Office, Carpinteria Unified School District, Santa Barbara Workforce Development Board

The Challenge

The lack of a streamlined data collection processes specific to our Santa Barbara Adult Education Consortium. In addition, critical CAEP programs did not have the technological infrastructure needed to meet the State’s data collection needs.

The Solution

The Consortium engaged the Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Office of Institutional Research and the SBCC Administrative Systems Office to help identify gaps and compile data reports needed for the CAEP requirements that did not previously exist. Most importantly, the data and accountability funds transformed CAEP programs from paper to web-based testing with the purchase of several computers, printers, and the necessary CASAS assessment and testing tools. This not only impacted the students and staff to reduce errors but also allowed more accurate data integrity and accountability.

Outcomes

-Data collection and alignment with WIOA II programs. -A significant impact in test-taking from paper-based to online for students and CASAS staff. -A comprehensive report on the Economic and Workforce Gap Analysis for Adult Education Student in the Santa Barbara region that complements our existing data. -Enhanced training for CASAS staff to better organize, assess, and report student data.-The upcoming establishment of a Data Collection Committee focused exclusively on Noncredit programs and partners in order to be inclusive, collaborative, and coordinated.

The Data

The proof of the outcome is that the Consortium met all of its past Three-Year goals with an increase in enrollment in multiple Program Areas that currently collect MIS data which are reflected in the required reports. However, there is still a considerable amount of data that needs to be collected. As a result, the Santa Barbara Adult Education Consortium has made data collection one of its primary goals in both the 2019-2020 CAEP Annual Plan and the 2019-2022 Three-Year Plan.

Also, a comprehensive report on the Economic and Workforce Gap Analysis for Adult Education Student in the Santa Barbara region that complements our existing data was completed in 2019.